What Happened on October 7
Significant Events
- 1571 Battle of Lepanto: Holy League of southern European nations destroy Ottoman fleet in significant loss off Western Greece
- 1737 A cyclone causes 40 foot waves that are believed to have killed 300,000 in Calcutta, India
- 1763 George III of Great Britain issues Proclamation of 1763, closing lands in North America north and west of Alleghenies to white settlement
- 1919 KLM, Royal Dutch Airlines, established (oldest existing airline)
- 2001 The U.S. invasion of Afghanistan starts with an air assault and covert operations on the ground
Did You Know?
Far side of Moon seen for the 1st time, courtesy of USSR's Luna 3 space probe
On October 7, 1959
Famous Birthdays
Niels Bohr
(1885 - 1962)
Elijah Muhammad
(1896 - 1975)
Heinrich Himmler
(1900 - 1945)
Desmond Tutu
86 Years Old
Vladimir Putin
65 Years Old
Simon Cowell
58 Years Old
Would You Believe?
Georgia Tech, coached by John Heisman, defeat Cumberland 222-0, most lopsided score in the history of US college football
On October 7, 1916
Famous Weddings
- 1776 Crown Prince Paul of Russia marries Sophie Marie Dorothea of Württemberg.
- 1914 44th US Ambassador to the United Kingdom Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr. (26) weds John F. Fitzgerald's daughter, Rose Fitzgerald (24)
- 1965 Actress and comedian Phyllis Diller (48) weds actor Warde Donovan
- 1978 Country singer Merle Haggard (41) weds his backup singer Leona Williams (35)
- 1989 Radio talk show host Larry King weds Julie Alexander
Famous Divorces
- 1988 Robin Givens files for divorce after 8-month marriage to Mike Tyson
- 2004 Actress Andie MacDowell (46) divorces businessman Rhett Hartzog (45) after nearly three years of marriage
George Mason
Edgar Allan Poe
Willis Carrier
Clarence Birdseye
Leo DurocherOctober in History
Ford Puts Millions in the Driving Seat
Henry Ford's Model T rolled off the assembly line on this day in automotive history, bringing affordable motoring to millions.
October 1, 1908
Elvis Comes Fifth in Talent Show
Elvis Presley made his first public appearance as a singer on this day. It did not go well: he came fifth in a local talent show. But he was only ten years old.
October 3, 1945
The Great Stand on the Ugra River
On one side of the Ugra River stood the Mongol Golden Horde, on the other, Ivan III, Grand Prince of the rising Muscovy Principality. At stake, everything.
October 8, 1480
Grim History of London's Speakers' Corner
Nowhere in England is the principal of free speech embodied more than at Speakers’ Corner in London’s Hyde Park. But this right was won through death and protest.
October 14, 1855